Russell Wilson

Here is my Wednesday column explaining why Russell Wilson is better than Colin Kaepernick. SANTA CLARA – You have to admit, Russell Wilson looked like a miniature combination of Joe Montana and Steve Young Monday night against the Saints – Montana’s cool demeanor and precision from the pocket, Young’s explosive ability to make plays on the run. Wilson has been that Montana-Young combo most of this season, his second in…

Rich Gannon was interviewed Tuesday about the upcoming 49ers-Seahawks game. Here is a transcript. Q: How can the 49ers beat the Seahawks on Sunday? GANNON: They’ve got to do a number of things. I’ve been surprised, I thought these guys were the best offensive line in football last year. Even when they were healthy this year, they weren’t dominating like they did a year a go. That’s a big of…

John Clayton was interviewed on Tuesday about the upcoming 49ers-Seahawks game. Here is a transcript. Q: What do you see happening in this game? CLAYTON: I still think Seattle can win because they’re the better team at this stage. I think they go down there hitting them at a good time. Michael Crabtree is not going to be 100 percent because literally he’s having his training camp now. You can…

Here is my Tuesday column on Kaepernick’s season of regression. The following play epitomizes how inept the 49ers’ offense has become: Eight minutes left in the second quarter against the Saints. Play No. 2 of drive No. 6 for the Niners. Colin Kaepernick lines up under center and waves his left arm to silently signal the third-string tight end, Derek Carrier, to shift to the slot. Carrier isn’t looking. Kaepernick…

Here is my Thursday column about the 49ers’ signing of John Skelton. SANTA CLARA – You think you know Jim Harbaugh, and then he goes and signs John Skelton as a backup quarterback. Signing Skelton is a defining move of the Harbaugh Era. Not because Skelton is good. He isn’t. He represents a dramatic shift in the 49ers’ offensive philosophy. Skelton does not fit into the offense the 49ers have…

Gary Kubiak spoke on a conference call with Bay Area reporters Wednesday morning. Here is a transcript. Q: Can you talk about the challenge that faces your staff and your team after such a disappointing loss on Sunday? KUBIAK: Yeah, that makes it tough. When you go out and play pretty darn well and you don’t finish the product at the end of the day, that’s pretty hard to swallow….

Here is my Friday column previewing the 49ers-Colts game. Even if Indianapolis hadn’t traded for Trent Richardson on Wednesday, the 49ers still would have a tough time beating the Colts on Sunday. Look at the facts: The Colts ranked fifth in the NFL in rushing yards without Richardson. They average 5 yards per carry. To beat the 49ers, you have to run the ball well and that’s what the Colts…

I’m saying the Seahawks will beat the 49ers Sunday night and here is why: 1. Vic Fangio’s 49ers defense, avec Justin Smith or sans Justin Smith, has not been able to stop Marshawn Lynch the past two seasons in Seattle. Lynch has averaged 4.64 yards per carry and scored three touchdowns in those two games. 2. Frank Gore hasn’t had a 100-yard rushing game in Seattle since 2006. Over the…

SANTA CLARA — Colin Kaepernick spoke in the locker room Wednesday afternoon. Here’s a transcript courtesy of the 49ers. Let’s ask you about the commercial on EA Madden. Those are great. Is it a real deal? Are somebody’s eyebrows coming off after this game? “I’m going to let to you ask [Seahawks QB] Russell [Wilson] about that one.” How well do you know him? How did you get…

SANTA CLARA — Jim Harbaugh spoke in the media tent Wednesday afternoon. Here’s a transcript, courtesy of the 49ers. WR Kassim Osgood is back on the team, what do you expect from him? “He is. I expect major contributions on special teams.” Will he be a gunner? “He’ll be a core player.” What weighed into the decision to put LB Nick Moody on short-term IR rather than…

SANTA CLARA – Pete Carroll spoke to Bay Area reporters on a conference call Wednesday afternoon. Here’s what he said. Q: What were your impressions of the 49ers’ Week 1? CARROLL: They couldn’t have been much more explosive in the throwing game. It was a fantastic day for the quarterback, a great breakout day for Anquan Boldin in the new uniform. Vernon Davis was no surprise, he did great. They…

SANTA CLARA – Aldon Smith spoke at his locker Tuesday afternoon. Here’s what he said. Q: What’s the advantage of playing you both on the right and left sides? ALDON SMITH: It gives me a chance to move around a little bit. Q: Does it give opponents to think about in a week, that you could be on either side? ALDON SMITH: Yeah, it gives them something to game plan…

Here’s the transcript of Jim Harbaugh’s Friday press conference, courtesy of the 49ers. Tell us about the addition of QB Seneca Wallace? How do you see him fitting in here over the next, whatever it is, several weeks of the exhibition season? “I think he hit the ground running. Professional, he’s played in the league, experienced guy. So, going over a lot of things that he is familiar with,…

Here is my preview of the 49ers-Chiefs preseason game. Five things to watch in the 49ers’ preseason game against the Chiefs Friday night: 1. Colin Kaepernick in the red zone. Kaepernick has something to prove here. As terrific as he’s played in his brief career, he needs to improve his passing in the red zone. Last season, his red zone passer rating was 83.9, nothing special. Compare that to Alex Smith…

Here is my Tuesday column on the Seahawks-49ers rivalry. The 49ers and the Seahawks have the best rivalry in sports right now, and it isn’t even close. Here are the top five reasons why: 1. They are two of the best teams in the NFL. 2. They are in the same division. 3. Their head coaches hate each other. 4. Their players hate the other team’s coach. 5. Their players…

49ers fans and Bay Area residents are hyper-aware of Colin Kaepernick’s excellent 2012 season. He took Alex Smith’s starting job Week 10, started the final-seven games of the regular season and was one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL over that stretch. I thought it would be interesting to compare Kaepernick’s final-seven regular season games to the final-seven regular season games of each of the quarterbacks the 49ers will…

The 49ers will face Percy Harvin at least two times next season. Can they match up with him? They couldn’t last season when he was on the Vikings. Harvin caught nine passes for 89 yards and he ran once for nine yards. A couple of his catches were screens and a couple were swing passes out of the backfield. I want to show you three plays in which Harvin beat…

Many of my readers have been comparing and contrasting the 49ers and Seahawks this week, so I thought it would be interesting to break down the two clubs by offensive, defensive and special teams units. In other words, at this point in free agency which team has the better starting QB? Which team has the better backup QB? Which team has the better group of running backs? And so on….

Greg Cosell recently broke down the draft’s quarterback prospects on Yahoo’s Shutdown Corner podcast. Here’s his breakdown. Q: What do you think of Geno Smith? COSELL: There is no question he has an NFL arm. He’s an NFL talent. Now, he’s got some other issues. First of all, he’s got some footwork issues. I think that can be corrected. He plays almost exclusively from the shotgun. He’s a bit of…

Inside the 49ers: Grant Cohn

I cover the San Francisco 49ers year-round for The Press Democrat in Santa Rosa. Argue with me, agree with me, or just read the posts and follow the conversation. I've been a contributor to several other regional and national sports websites, and I also write two online columns a week for pressdemocrat.com, which are posted on this site as well.